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Administration & Society
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Elite Structure and Attitudes

An Empirical Analysis of Adoption Behavior

Arthur P. Brief

College of Business University of lowa

Andre L. Delbecq

Graduate School of Business University of Wisconsin-Madison

Alan C. Filley

Graduate School of Business University of Wisconsin-Madison

George P. Huber

Graduate School of Business University of Wisconsin-Madison

The decision to adopt innovative proposals is typically made by the organizational elite. A review of the literature suggests three categories of independent variables related to the adoption behavior of elites: innovation proneness, adoption potential, and problem severity. Innovation proneness refers to the degree to which various characteristics of the elite facilitate the acceptance of change-size, differentiation, integration, formalization, security, accountability, resources, and perceived innovativeness. Adoption potential is concerned with the degree to which various attributes of the proposal facilitate the elite's acceptance-fragility, flexibility, confidence, administrative complexity, communicability, source legitimacy, and so on. Problem severity refers to the degree of tension within the elite that emanates from the issue area to which the proposal is addressed. Data were collected in a field setting from 33 elites; their adoption behavior was then analyzed in light of the a priori propositions presented. Results of this analysis and their implications are discussed.

Administration & Society, Vol. 8, No. 2, 227-248 (1976)
DOI: 10.1177/009539977600800207
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